Posts From Max Weinbach

Max Weinbach
Max Weinbach

Former Contributor to the XDA-Developers Portal.

Microsoft Surface Duo Review: A multi-tasker’s dream

Microsoft Surface Duo Review: A multi-tasker’s dream

September 10, 2020
The Microsoft Surface Duo is probably one of the most interesting devices to launch this year. In a world of Galaxy Z Fold and Flip, the dual-screen approach might seem uninteresting. And at first, I thought it was too. It seems like two phones just stuck together. The device may not seem all that interesting...
[Update: Live in S. Korea] Samsung opens up a One UI 3.0 / Android 11 developer beta for the Galaxy S20

[Update: Live in S. Korea] Samsung opens up a One UI 3.0 / Android 11 developer beta for the Galaxy S20

September 9, 2020
After Samsung’s surprise announcement that they are committing to delivering 3 generations of Android OS updates for their flagship smartphones, the company has now surprised us again with another update-related announcement. Samsung is opening up a One UI 3.0 beta program for developers with the Galaxy S20, S20+, or S20 Ultra. One UI 3.0 is...
Surface Duo Unboxing – Hands-on with Microsoft’s Dual Screen Android Device

Surface Duo Unboxing – Hands-on with Microsoft’s Dual Screen Android Device

August 27, 2020
Two weeks ago, Microsoft unveiled its first-ever Android device, the Surface Duo. It's a radical evolution of the dual screen design we've seen in the past from the likes of ZTE, LG, and others. Unlike those other dual screen mobile devices, Microsoft is pouring a ton of resources into making sure the software experience holds...
Microsoft Surface Duo will get 3 years of OS and security updates, will have an unlockable bootloader

Microsoft Surface Duo will get 3 years of OS and security updates, will have an unlockable bootloader

August 13, 2020
Yesterday, Microsoft officially announced the Surface Duo, their latest attempt at a mobile smartphone. It is a super cool looking dual-screen device running Android, which will also be known as the first Android device from Microsoft. With Android devices, one of the most important questions has been how many years of Android updates the device...
OxygenOS 11 on the OnePlus 8 Pro – Hands-on with OnePlus’s Android 11 update

OxygenOS 11 on the OnePlus 8 Pro – Hands-on with OnePlus’s Android 11 update

August 12, 2020
OnePlus released its latest Android 11 developer preview for the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro the other day. With this release, OnePlus introduced the new design language and features in its OxygenOS 11 software (also known as HydrogenOS 11 in China). I installed the latest developer preview on my OnePlus 8 Pro so I can...
Microsoft’s first Android smartphone is here: the dual screen Surface Duo

Microsoft’s first Android smartphone is here: the dual screen Surface Duo

August 12, 2020
Last October, Microsoft announced the Surface Neo and Surface Duo. These were both meant to be the future of the Surface line. The Surface Neo is a dual-screen laptop running Windows 10X, while the Surface Duo was a dual-screen Android phone. Microsoft had originally teased both of these devices for Holiday 2020 but they sped...
[Update: Rolllout] Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Active 2 gets cleared for ECG monitoring by South Korea

[Update: Rolllout] Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Active 2 gets cleared for ECG monitoring by South Korea

August 7, 2020
Samsung's Galaxy Watch Active 2 represents the Korean company's biggest push into health tracking. It has Samsung's most accurate smartwatch health sensor with 8 photodiodes, double the number on the original Galaxy Watch Active, and an ECG sensor. These new sensors were added to support two of the smartwatch's headlining features: ECG and blood pressure...
Samsung announces the Galaxy Z Fold 2 with full screen display, customizable hinge, UTG

Samsung announces the Galaxy Z Fold 2 with full screen display, customizable hinge, UTG

August 5, 2020
The Samsung Galaxy Fold will be remembered for giving birth to the consumer-ready foldable smartphone category. The phone was massively hyped leading up to its launch, for good reason too, but it met with an unfortunate set of events that forced Samsung to take the product back to the drawing board. Samsung returned with some...
Microsoft Surface Book 3 15-inch Review: The Best Laptop Form Factor!

Microsoft Surface Book 3 15-inch Review: The Best Laptop Form Factor!

August 2, 2020
The Microsoft Surface Book 3 is Microsoft’s most powerful laptop. It’s also Microsoft’s most interesting laptop. See, the Surface Book series isn’t like the Surface Pro or Surface Laptop series. The Surface Pro is a Windows tablet with an attachable keyboard and a trackpad. The Surface Laptop is just a Microsoft-made laptop. The Surface Book...
Samsung app confirms Galaxy Watch 3 hand gestures, fall detection, and more

Samsung app confirms Galaxy Watch 3 hand gestures, fall detection, and more

July 24, 2020
Earlier today, Samsung released the Galaxy Buds Live Plugin app to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, confirming a few new features about the Galaxy Buds Live. Just a few hours later, Samsung released the Galaxy Watch 3 Plugin app. On the surface, the release of this plugin doesn't reveal much information, but...
Vivo X50 Pro Camera Review: The Gimbal doesn’t make up for the processing

Vivo X50 Pro Camera Review: The Gimbal doesn’t make up for the processing

July 17, 2020
The X-series of smartphones has generally been Vivo's camera-focused lineup. While still photography has generally been the primary focus for the X-series, Vivo has decided this time to focus on video stabilization as the key selling point of the X50 Pro. Not only that, but the Vivo X50 series represents the first time that Vivo...
Samsung Tips app teases unreleased wireless Samsung DeX mode

Samsung Tips app teases unreleased wireless Samsung DeX mode

July 15, 2020
Samsung DeX was announced with the Samsung Galaxy S8 as a way to use your phone as a desktop PC. The original idea was to dock the phone into a DeX dock that connects to a screen. This original idea didn't work out too well since the dock was too big, there was no way...